Corporate executives, engineers, medical personnel, programmers and other highly technical scientific positions often require the execution of an employment contract as a requirement for employment.
JGL’s employment contracts lawyers can negotiate the terms of your employment arrangement. Our approach to employment contracts considers the current market standards of a variety of different industries. Our employment and labor attorneys in Maryland and Washington, DC will guide you through all types of employment agreements, such as:
- Arbitration, non-competition, and indemnification
- Job duty/performance standards
- Compensation and business expenses
- Bonuses and other forms of incentive compensation
- Stock option plans and salary deferment
- Employment benefits
- Confidentiality, trade secret, and proprietary information
- Invention assignment agreements
- Termination, reorganization, and severance
What is an Employment Contract?
Employment contracts memorialize the terms of employment, such as benefits, legal obligations, salary, title, and job duties to name a few. Such contracts can expose and address certain risks. Contract laws vary from state to state. An initial employment contract should be a starting point for a negotiated agreement, and for your protection, should be written by and reviewed by a labor and employment contract lawyer.
Common Elements of Employment Contracts
Employment contracts typically include the start date, salary, title, benefits, and job responsibilities. They can also include language about non-compete and non-disclosure clauses, compensation and bonus plans, termination, severance, confidentiality and other necessary elements.
Non-compete and non-disclosure clauses are often referred to as restrictive covenants. Employers tend to use overly broad and vague language when utilizing restrictive covenants in employment agreements, and this language can have serious consequences for the employee when they decide to leave an employer. An experienced Maryland or Washington, DC labor and employment contracts lawyer can advise you about the legality and enforceability of the non-compete, and negotiate and often eliminate such language so that the agreement is written to minimize the impact of these types of provisions on an employee’s employment future.
Particularly if there are restrictive employment covenants in your employment contract, it is important to also spell out the terms of termination in your employment contract. Such language can secure the levels of compensation, benefits and protection needed to secure your next employment should you be terminated or fall victim to a reduction in force. Contracts with such terms should also be reviewed to ensure that they don’t reduce the rights that would otherwise govern your employment.
Similar to employment contracts, severance agreements should be reviewed and negotiated by an experienced employment attorney. This is particularly necessary when there are non-compete and non-disclosure clauses in your employment contract that could restrict your ability to work in your area of expertise, or when you believe that you are being fired for an unlawful discriminatory reason.
No employer wants their trade secrets, client lists, formulas or manufacturing processes shared with the outside world by former employees. The employer’s desire to protect their secrets brought about the development of confidentiality agreements. You, as an employee, do not want this agreement to be too broad or too vague, nor beyond the scope of what the law, and need to have your rights protected. These agreements, like many others can be negotiated and clarified through the use of an experienced labor and employment lawyer. These agreements should define the confidential information included, as well as the period of time in which the employee must keep the information confidential.
Understanding Breach of Contract
When either party to an employment contract fails to uphold the obligations of that contract – a breach occurs. If you have been accused of breaching your contract, or your employer breached an agreement with you, you need to consult with an experienced Maryland or DC employment contract attorney.
Contact a Maryland or DC Employment Contracts Lawyer
What matters to you, matters to us. For over five decades, JGL attorneys have fought to improve the future of families, the arc of careers, the success of businesses, and your most basic human rights. The attorneys of JGL take your business, family, and personal issues as personally as you do. We relentlessly pursue the outcomes you desire. If you need guidance from a Maryland or DC Labor and Employment attorney, contact JGL.
